"failed victim"

[Dan Goncharoff]

Aren't spellcheckers a contributing factor? I often find when I mistype
that the suggested correction is not the word I wanted.

Given the absence of editing for much online media content, mistakes are
likely.

DanG

On 6/28/2010 10:00 AM, Baker, John M. wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John M."<JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "failed victim"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>          Really an eggcorn?  Or a writing error?  It looks like an eggcorn, of course, but I'm inclined to believe that this professional writer knows that the standard phrase is not "has failed victim."  Nor does it appear to be an intentional play on words.  Rather, my guess is that the writer inadvertently combined "failed" and "fallen victim," something he would not have done if he had written more carefully.
>
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Dan Goodman
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 2:48 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: "failed victim"
>
>
>   From the UK edition of Google News, a new-to-me eggcorn:
>
>
>      National UK Newspaper Spreads Fake iPhone 4 Recall Rumour
>      <http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=uk%2F4_0_s_0_0_t&ct3=MAE4AkgAUABqAnVregF0&usg=AFQjCNH9bdGpDzkfVjm7-gZDbg7zV_NZJA&sig2=ds7ZTpEeDemDPgdMHYrojQ&cid=17593767514453&ei=4kEoTNjcHaXWNJrt7_gC&rt=HOMEPAGE&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.itproportal.com%2Fportal%2Fnews%2Farticle%2F2010%2F6%2F27%2Fnational-uk-newspaper-spread-fake-iphone-4-recall-rumour%2F>
>      <javascript:void(0);>
>
> ITProPortal - Desire Athow
> <http://news.google.com/news/search?cf=all&ned=uk&hl=en&q=author%3A%22Desire+Athow%22&scoring=n>
> - ý5 hours agoý
> Brit Newspaper, the Daily Mail, has failed victim to the infamous Fake
> Steve Jobs after the latter twittered on his ceoSteveJobs account early
> this morning that Apple may have to recall the new iPhone 4 before
> adding that "this, I did not expect".
>
> --
> Dan Goodman
> "I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
> Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
> Journal dsgood.dreamwidth.org (livejournal.com, insanejournal.com)
>
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